Vacation Report: Stowe, VT, Day 4

Mount Mansfield

Mount Mansfield is the tallest mountain in Vermont, and one of its lower peaks is fairly close to Stowe. In fact, the Stowe resort has built a series of gondolas that will take you up! These serve a secondary purpose for getting skiers up to the top of the slope during ski season. Though it was almost 74 degrees Fahrenheit at the base, it was in the mid 60s at the top.

The view up to the upper gondola station of Mount MansfieldGetting on!View from within the gondolaCarrie and I at the top stationMealika and Carrie on MansfieldView from the lower summit

Smuggler’s Notch

Just beyond Mount Mansfield is the region known as Smuggler’s Notch. The many switchbacks and narrow roads make for very dangerous driving conditions. Certainly not something I would want to do in the winter! Lovely views to be experienced, however, and a popular destination for hikers and mountain climbers.

Montpelier

Montpelier is located roughly 30 minutes south of the Village Green at Stowe, so it was a very short drive. The actual distance is much shorter, but a lot of time is spent on surface streets given the location of the condos. For those that haven’t visited Montpelier, it is a surprisingly down-to-earth, especially for a capital. We grabbed lunch at the Three-Penny Taproom before doing some more gift-shopping. Most of the stores close at 5, so be sure to get there early in the day!